Latest News

DIDIBENG HAS BEAT TB05/04/18

My name is Modisanyane Didibeng, from Serowe an 85 year old Tuberculosis (TB) survivor. I used to work in the mines in South Africa some years ago before I came back home to work for Botswanal...

#PROUDLYCIRCUMCISED – Kealeboga Bushman 20/03/18

Kealeboga Bushman, 22, a student of Logistics & Supply Chain Management at University of Botswana, lives in the outskirt of the capital city in a village called Lesirane. During his leisure...

I am proudly circumsiced - Tshepo Ditsebe (24) 15/03/18

Mafoko (real name Tshepo Ditsebe) is a recording artist with the Bang Gae stable “I am a song writer, producer and also a vocalist, popularly known as ‘Mafoko’ in the music industry” He shared. He...

VMMC Orientation and Team Building for Gaborone Senior Secondary School & St’ Joseph boys clubs 27/09/17

Nkoyaphiri hub Program Officer, Mr. Eric Magashula says, “Though we have been experiencing challenges reaching senior school boys to circumcise for a while in Greater Gaborone region, June this...

THE CSS PROGRAM HAILED BY KGOSI LEIPEGO OF HUKUNTSI27/09/17

Kgosi Leipigo of Hukuntsi grateful for ACHAP‘s contribution towards bringing services closer to his people through the Community System Strengthening (CSS) program under the Global Fund...

ACHAP recognises it's exceptional VMMC Mobilisers12/09/17

ACHAP is the implementing organization for the CDC supported five year (2015- 2020) VMMC program in Botswana. Since inception of the program, ACHAP has been experiencing gradual increase...

ACHAP Re-launches Wise Up25/08/17

Spring was a season for ACHAP and NACA to Re-launch a campaign called Wise Up and many people gathered at one of the biggest malls in Francistown, Galo Mall for the re-launch of Wise Up...

ACHAP Partners with the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Sports and Culture. 03/08/17

ACHAP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) on the 3rd of August at the MYSC Headquarters. The two parties have decided to set parameters
to work together and put health a top priority among the youth...

Physical Address

Social Media

ACHAP Partners with the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Sports and Culture. 03/08/17

ACHAP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) on the 3rd of August at the MYSC Headquarters. The two parties have decided to set parameters to work
together and put health a top priority among the youth.

Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary for MYSC, Mr Kago Ramokate explained that, the Ministry has been re-branded to empower young people, develop sports and arts but one of the key policies of the ministry is to also
promote health among the youth. “We have had initiatives for behaviour change towards the youth over the years but have not collaborated with NGOs to bring together efforts to promote health”, He said. The ministry believes
that partnering with ACHAP will add value and make an impact in the young people’s lives as ACHAP strengths are those of addressing health issues in the country.

Affirming to Ramokate’s words, the CEO of ACHAP, Dr Jerome Mafeni alluded that Health is an important aspect in our lives, “Health takes care of our Today and a healthy life produces a healthy nation”. Said Mafeni. He further explained
that the youth takes care of our tomorrow hence a healthy youth means a better future. ACHAP has worked and continues to work with the youth as peer educators, counsellors and mobilisers to encourage different communities to
live a healthy life.

Mafeni described the youth as a powerful nation which means both parties will have to look beyond just mobilising and educating youth on health issues. “The youth needs to be inbuilt with certain skills that builds their character,
their understanding on how the implications of the actions they take today affect not only their lives but also of those close to them, be it family, friends or communities.

Following the signing of the agreement, an implementation plan will be put together which will result in the actualisation of the MOU. Through this partnership these organisations hope to mould the characters of the youth and increase
their sense of nationalism and ownership of the future of Botswana.

ACHAP Re-launches the Wise Up program. 25/08/17

Spring was a season for ACHAP and NACA to Re-launch a campaign called Wise Up and many people gathered at one of the biggest malls in Francistown, Galo Mall for the re-launch of Wise Up.

Wise Up is a program that seeks to engage adolescents and youths through various communication channels to improve knowledge of HIV and prevention. Wise Up provides age appropriate information, skills and services for target age
groups between 10 to 29 years using integrated channels of communication including social media such as Facebook and Twitter to promote awareness and behavior change. The event officiated by the Minister of Health and Wellness
Honourable Dorcas Makgato was graced by some of the senior government officials including Francistown City Mayor Her Worship Ms Sylvia Muzila. Students from different schools also thronged the launch in numbers. When officially
opening the Re-launch Hon Dorcas Makgato emphasized that Wise Up will improve the youth’s knowledge on HIV and prevention. She further urged the nation teachers, parents about the dangers of HIV, “We should not tire to educate
our young people on the dangers of HIV. They should be informed about the current status of the HIV epidemic in Botswana” Makgato said. “If we want to achieve Zero new infections we must focus our effort on the youth and make
sure our youth can make the right decisions for their future” She emphasized.

Wise Up is facilitated through peer education mentors who support peer educators to drive the meaningful engagement and conversations of the target populations in all ten Global Fund grant focus districts namely Kweneng West, Francistown,
Tutume, Selibe Phikwe, Serowe, Palapye, Hukuntsi, Boteti, Gumare, and Maun. Youth and adolescents registered on the Wise Up platform will receive scheduled age appropriate messages on pertinent health and behaviour change.
The youth will also be directed to a Facebook page where they are able to ask questions and receive advice.

Another key speaker at the event, the ACHAP CEO Dr, Jerome Mafeni urged the youth to know the dangers of HIV and how to take the necessary steps to protect themselves and others. “You must have the power to say NO when your body
tells you to, BE WISE” said Mafeni. He advised the youth to get married first before engaging in sexual activities and that no one should make the decision for them.

The participants were entertained by various artists including up and coming. The comedian, Mojamaica who left the crowd in stiches but advised students to know their rights and Be Wise as they make decisions.

ACHAP recognises it's exceptional VMMC Mobilisers 12/09/17

ACHAP is the implementing organization for the CDC supported five year (2015- 2020) VMMC program in Botswana. Since inception of the program, ACHAP has been experiencing gradual increase in its performance towards achieving set
targets. For instance its COP 16 performance has been exceptional. By 31 August 2017 with only a month to go before the end of the COP year, ACHAP has already reached 96% of its annual target. This impressive performance is
highly attributable to its robust demand creation strategies implemented through a highly dedicated team of mobilisers stationed in the four PEPFAR priority districts in which ACHAP is offering the VMMC services.

At present ACHAP boast of 91 highly motivated mobilisers against the target of 200 mobilisers. These Local community based mobilisers are recruited per village to support mobilisation of eligible men in the four districts namely
Greater Gaborone with extended support to Kgatleng and South East, Mahalapye and Kweneng East. These mobilisers play a key role in community mobilisation of potential clients under the guidance of ACHAP and DHMT staff. In lieu
of the great work demonstrated in COP 16, ACHAP found it fitting to recognize and motivate its top performing and long serving mobilisers through awarding of certificates of recognition.

Retaining volunteers for the project has been a challenge so far considering that the project is being implemented through a performance based mechanism contrary to other programs in the country where volunteers are compensated
with a fixed stipend. Regardless of this difficulty, ACHAP has managed to retain most of its star performing mobilisers. The secret for retention being constant mobilisers support and continuous empowerment. At least a total
of 48 mobilisers have been consistently active on the ground for the past 2 years. One of such mobilisers had this to share:

“Volunteering at ACHAP has been an eye opener and empowering- I have learnt a lot and have made a difference in my people’s lives. Being allowed to work hard and determine my monthly stipend has helped me make more and ultimately
build myself a house in Mahalapye. I am always self-motivated to do more and earn more”.

To recognise such tremendous efforts of our star mobilisers, ACHAP through its Executive Officer–Programmes, Dr. Frank Mwangemi awarded the mobilisers certificates of appreciation as demonstrated in the photographs below. The certificates
were graced with branded golf shirts and sun hats to protect them from the harsh weathers. During the awarding ceremony, Dr. Frank Mwangemi further encouraged the mobilisers to continue soldiering their hard work and the response
from the mobilisers was impeccable and heart-warming. One mobiliser in Molepolole had this to say:

“We appreciate that we are not forgotten nor are we just vessels to be used but we are recognised as part of circumcision project achievement in Botswana- it is heart-warming indeed”.

THE CSS PROGRAM HAILED BY KGOSI LEIPEGO OF HUKUNTSI 27/09/17

Kgosi Leipigo of Hukuntsi grateful for ACHAP‘s contribution towards bringing services closer to his people through the Community System Strengthening (CSS) program under the Global Fund. The ecstatic Chief expressed this recently
during a community led -Health fair that was hosted by the community of Hukuntsi partnering with ACHAP. Leipigo noted that “the CSS program has indeed brought a lot of change and positivity amongst his community.”

When welcoming guests, Leipigo described how before the introduction of the program they faced a lot of health related challenges. He mentioned that alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and HIV infections were the order of
the day in his village. “After our children intoxicate themselves with these alcohol and drugs they engage in unprotected sexual activities leading to the spread of infections and unwanted pregnancies. This unruly behaviour
is influenced by drug use and the rate of HIV infections keeps on increasing. Kgosi elaborated.

“I am very thankful to ACHAP for introducing the CSS program in our village, because now I can see a lot of difference in my community. My request is for the ACHAP team to stay within us to educate and inform us on how to prevent
infections and sicknesses. We want to be fully equipped to resolve all these issues that are affecting us in our community to preserve our future generation. I understand that through behaviour change and reformation of character
from our ill behaviours which lead to the spread of infections, our life span will be prolonged as we will be preserved from ailments” He emphasized. Leipigo appealed to his people to receive and support the program as it will
contribute positively to their health and improve their life span. He appealed to them to take heed of the information that the volunteers share with them when they do door-to-door visits around the community.

According to Kgosi Leipigo behavior change in his community can been influenced by the most of the youthful volunteers as they can easily relate with their peers.

VMMC Orientation and Team Building for Gaborone Senior Secondary School & St’ Joseph boys clubs 27/09/17

Nkoyaphiri hub Program Officer, Mr. Eric Magashula says, “Though we have been experiencing challenges reaching senior school boys to circumcise for a while in Greater Gaborone region, June this year was different, 20 boys came
forth to do the procedure. This change in events motivated and encouraged Nkoyaphiri hub to reach out to these young men to appreciate as to what prompted them to circumcise and how we can engage them to be advocates of VMMC
to their peers in their schools”.

To this effect the hub currently interacted with students from Gaborone Senior Secondary and St Joseph’s College whom circumcised during the end of June school campaign. The workshop was held at Lions Park. The purpose of the team
building workshop was to orientate these boys on the VMMC project since they were eager to form VMMC clubs in their respective schools. The clubs are instrumental in mobilizing other boys to circumcise in sound numbers.

The objective of the team building exercise was to share basic VMMC facts with the young men to ensure that they confidently discuss VMMC with their fellow students on and out of school. The boys were oriented on what VMMC is,
its benefits, risks and after-operation care. The exercise was also meant to enhance the working relationship between mobilizers, clubs and VMMC staff.

“The team building initiative was a success with all the boys who were invited attending the workshop. They appreciated the workshop and we are positive that this November we will have more clients from this age group (15-19 years)”
expressed happy Magashula. The participants took part in various games meant to mould their team spirit and also visited lions in the park.

I am proudly circumsiced - Tshepo Ditsebe (24) 15/03/18

Mafoko (real name Tshepo Ditsebe) is a recording artist with the Bang Gae stable “I am a song writer, producer and also a vocalist, popularly known as ‘Mafoko’ in the music industry” He shared. He “spits” a few Motswako rhymes and from his latest single called ‘Maphakela’. The Mango tree project according to Tshepo was released on the 3rd of December 2017 with 7 songs.

Tshepo recalls, “Though I heard about VMMC in 2011 it took me 7 solid years to finally circumcise. It took this long because I had my doubts about the procedure. The misconceptions flying around about circumcision also made it impossible for me to consider it at all”, recalled Ditsebe. “A decision to circumcise is not as easy as many assume, shares a 24 year old,” added Ditsebe.

Misconceptions usually distort the true message being communicated. It tends to cloud our judgments thereby shifting people‘s focus from the core message to assuming the worst possible scenarios which do not exist at all. It is these misconceptions that are contributing to the low uptake of VMMC services in the country.

“I heard the circumcision message through a road show campaign themed ‘Take a Lead, get circumcise’ when they came to our area in Mogoditshane. Despite hearing the message I never took heed to it because I wasn’t seeing the long term benefits of circumcision to my life. Other people’s perceptions also made it difficult for me to consider circumcising. I really needed a lot of convincing.”

Ditsebe further narrates that he finally took the decision to circumcise after witnessing all his four friends had circumcised. He saw the whole process from the point they circumcised till the healing. “I finally decided to circumcise after realizing from my friends’ experience that it is actually not as bad as I thought. As I kept checking on them and realizing that they were coping, all my doubts were wiped away and I was convinced that if they did it I can cope too” Ditsebe narrated.

The day I went to the facility at Nkoyaphiri clinic, though fear kept creeping in me, my courage was boosted by a 13 year old boy who was at the facility to circumcise too. He was confident, and his eagerness really encouraged me to go ahead with doing the procedure and not pay attention to my fears.

Ditsebe confirmed boldly that he is proudly circumcised and happy with the service he received. “There has been a huge difference in my health and life ever since I circumcised. My healing is complete and my last checkup was on the 19th of February 2018. I am happy that I am circumcised”.

His advice to all uncircumcised men is that they should be courageous and not hesitant to go ahead and circumcise. “From my experience is not as painful as people are painting it. Yes there is a bit of pain but painkillers are provided to sedate the pain after that, it is well” He confirmed.

#PROUDLYCIRCUMCISED – Kealeboga Bushman 20/03/18

Kealeboga Bushman, 22, a student of Logistics & Supply Chain Management at University of Botswana, lives in the outskirt of the capital city in a village called Lesirane. During his leisure time Kealeboga enjoys listening to music, partying and playing football.

Kealeboga enjoys the company of his uncircumcised friends who never discuss circumcision because they do not realise its relevance in their lives. “My friends and I are reluctant to circumcise because of the misconceptions surrounding male circumcision we hear from people. I first heard messages on circumcision when I was doing form 1 through SMC demand creation personnel who came to our school but never took heed to the messages, as I felt it did not concern me. The message grew louder when I was at senior school as Vee (former SMC ambassador) addressed our school but I was stillunconvinced. The misconceptions catalyzed fear and I kept wondering, what if the procedure is not done well or something goes wrong. You have to understand that this procedure is done on the most sensitive and precious part of my body, this is my life, my family, should anything go wrong, heish!” He expressed shaking his head.

“Despite all circumcision benefits shared, the message never hit home because I was not sexually active hence I saw no need to do the procedure. Yes, hygiene wise I understood but other benefits did not add much value to me. My mother also tried her best to reach out to me and encourage me to circumcise but I rmained unmoved due to the lingering misconceptions I heard.

Deep in thought one of the days, wondering what future awaits me after acquiring my degree this May, My dream to enroll as an Officer Cadet in the army remained alive. This has always been my wish, the dream was nearing realization because I was about to complete my studies. This dream became the game changer which led me to circumcise. I had heard that they highly encourage and recommend men to be circumcised in the army. On the 8th of January 2018 I bit the bullet and made my way to the hospital to circumcise.

Waking up that fateful morning I did not inform anyone at home that I was going to circumcise I just left without saying a word. My first stop was Lesirane clinic since I was not aware of any sites where circumcision is offered. When I told them of my desire they referred me to Nkoyaphiri clinic where the procedure was performed. Though the sight of the equipmt used such as scissors and needles gave me some fright but I went ahead with it. Due to the anesthetic injection administered before the doctor began the procedure, I did not feel any pain until the procedure was completed. I must admit that the first 3 days after circumcising it was a bit painful but painkillers were there to help suppress the pain and from there the pain was bearable as I followed the wound care advice appropriately.

During the healing process I was just curious to see how the whole thing will look like and all I can say is that I’m happy and satisfied with the service I got. I am indeed proudly circumcised and I am on my last week of the six weeks recommended for complete healing. My advice to my peers is that they should consider circumcising because it’s nothing to fear. Yes the first three days maybe a bit painful but after that all will be fine, trust me six weeks is nothing. The myths and misconceptions are not facts because the procedure is just fine

IDIBENG HAS BEAT TB 05/04/18

My name is Mr. Modisanyane Didibeng, from Serowe, I am 85 years old and a tuberculosis (TB) survivor.

A few years ago I was working in the mines in South Africa before I moved back home where I found a job at Botswana Railways. Soon after moving back I realized that I wasn’t feeling well. I had excruciating chest pains when coughing and I had no appetite. My skin was also peeling so I went to the hospital to seek for medical attention. Upon arrival the doctors did various tests but could not diagnose what was the problem. I was given medicines and I was sent home, but after sometime I returned to a different hospital to do another test but still it proved futile as they could not see anything from my results. Once again I went home without being diagnosed but the situation was worsening every day. I got to a point where I lost hope because medicine could not help me at all.

My third attempt to Serowe Nutrition Clinic last year June 2017, finally bared fruits because when I was screened they discovered that I had TB. The results of my sputum test which was done showed that I was positive for TB. As scary as it is to discover that you have a disease like TB, I was relieved because now the doctors managed to diagnose the problem. A ray of hope came, I was now close to my breakthrough of receiving the necessary treatment I needed and longed for, so the burden I suffered for a long time was finally close to being uplifted.

After being diagnosed Didibeng was immediately introduced to treatment. The first 14 days which is termed the initial phase of treatment, he had to take a pill on daily basis at the hospital. It is critical for the patient to take a pill at the hospital so that doctors can monitor the patient closely for side effects caused by the drugs. From this phase the patient will then be given a different pill for a period of two months and can take it from the comfort of his house. If there are no side effects the patient is then transitioned to the continuation phase until completing treatment which usually lasts six months. After five months and two weeks in treatment another sputum is taken to check if TB is still there or the patient is cured, if the results is negative it shows that the patient is healed.

Ms. Mogomotsi Kabelo who is a Community Treatment Supporter from BOCAIP-Serowe Nutrition Clinic was always responsible for seeing Didibeng throughout his treatment phase. She shares that, “Immediately after I screened Didibeng and he was introduced to treatment I made sure that I educated him on TB and how he can take care of himself and ensure that he prevents himself from infecting his family members with TB. I then went to his family to do contact tracing to screen them if they have TB since it is airborne and they have been in contact with Didibeng. I screened them and they were all negative” Kabelo shared. Though they were negative, there was a five year old child who was given treatment to prevent her from contracting the disease and to avoid complications as her immune system is still weak therefore can be infected easily. I also gave his family information on TB on how to support their father through his treatment and not isolate him. I shared with them the precautions measures to exercise to ensure that they do not contract TB when doing so.

Didibeng exclaims “It has been two months since I completed my treatment and I am really thrilled to have overcame this anguish that tormented me for a long time. I feel like life have entered my soul once again and I have regained my strength as now I can eat since my appetite has been restored. My family is now happy to see me well and are no longer worried like before. I really appreciate the service I have received through this TB/ Care Support initiative implemented by BOCAIP on behalf of ACHAP and would like to encourage others who are reluctant to seek help so that they beat this TB because as deadly as it is, it is curable” shared ecstatic Didibeng.

Didibeng after he completed his TB treatment and was fully recovered, he decided to become a TB/HIV support group member. “I decided to be part of the team in order to sensitise and educate my community members on TB. I wanted to encourage TB patients to be faithful to their medication and ensure that they complete their treatment” He said.